Lagos
History of Lagos
The first town in the Lagos region, called Laccobriga or Lacóbriga, was founded around 2000 years before the Birth of Christ by the Conians. This location was, consequently, occupied by Carthaginians, Romans, barbarian peoples, Muslims and finally reconquered by Christians in the 13th Century.3
Due to its location and economic importance, it became a central point for the Portuguese Discoveries, starting in the 15th century; in 1573, it was elevated to a city by King D. Sebastião, becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Algarve, a position it maintained during the Philippine Dominion. In 1755, when it was devastated by the tsunami that also devastated Lisbon, the provisional capital moved to Loulé and then to Faro where it still remains. In the 19th century, it actively participated in the French Invasions and the Portuguese Civil War, managing to regain some economic importance , with the introduction of the first industries from the middle of the century.
After the Second World War and until the end of the 20th century, there was a gradual reduction in industrial capacity and an increase in tourism, becoming the main economic activity in the Municipality.
For centuries, its bay saw ancient civilizations arrive and later saw the departure of the caravels that Infante D. Henrique took to conquer the New World.
Known as the City of Discoveries, Lagos however has many more things to discover. The narrow streets bequeathed by the Moors, the houses decorated with Arab chimneys, the walls, the castle, the rich churches and the famous D. Rodrigo, created by the wise hands of a son of the land.
An area of ancestral experiences, in Lagos the ancient and the contemporary coexist. And it is from the sea that all its wealth continues to come, made up of quality tourism, rich marine cuisine and, of course, the beauty of the white sand beaches, gracefully cut out by ocher-colored rocks.
